By Nicolas Bard

Gavdos is a small island belonging to the Prefecture of Chania and the Region of Crete, and is located south of the island of Crete, forming the southernmost Greek and at the same time European edge. There are only 208 residents stay there, and the closest town on the island is Sfakia, located in the same county.

The island is located 26 nautical miles south of Sfakia Chora and its area reaches 29 square kilometers. Tourist services on the island are elementary, though in the summer, people on the island can exceed 3,500 people, most of whom are campers. The port that receives the ships is Karavas, while the capital of the island is Kastri. The settlements of the island are five in total and the southernmost inhabited village is called Vatsiana. It is informally the southernmost settlement of Greece and the European continent at the same time. The other settlements of Gavdos are Ambelos, Vatsiana, Gavdopoula and Fokia.

Brief historical backlash

Gavdos has been inhabited continuously since the Neolithic period. The island has been identified with ancient Oygia, where Calypso held Odysseus prisoner. Archaeological investigations have documented that the Roman Empire was present on the island. The Romans even abused the flora of the island, causing a disintegration process, which continues to this day.

The Apostle Paul passed through the lean side of the island during his final trip to Rome. After abandoning Crete, a storm pulled his ship off the way, passing by Gavdos. This has been recorded in Acts 27:16.

Later, during the Byzantine Empire, the island had about 8,000 inhabitants (900 – 1000 AD), with three bishops and one Archbishop. At the time of the Ottoman hegemony, which lasted from 1665 to 1895, Gavdos was known as a godge. At this time the population was dramatically declined, reaching 1882 in 1882.

Gavdos as a place of exile

In the 1930s the island was a place of exile for the Communists. More than 250 people were exiled to Gavdos, including some leading members of the Communist Party, such as Markos Vafiadis, Leonidas Strigos and Aris Velouhiotis. During World War II, the Allied forces carried some troops there after the Germans’ victory in the battle of Crete.

The urbanization that followed in the 1960s in the rest of Greece had already begun in Gavdos in the 1950s. In those years, the islanders exchanged their land in Gavdos with a former Turkish land in Crete, which had become available for exchange by the state, while in their establishment in Crete, they founded a new community, the well -known Gavdiotika.

Nowadays the island stands out for its wild beauty and its great natural beauty, and every summer it attracts a large number of campers, from Greece and the whole world, looking for alternative and calmer holidays, away from the bustling and busy Aegean tourist resorts. If you decide to camping on the beaches of the island, make sure you are properly equipped and equipped, as you will find only the essentials.

Of course, on the island, you will also have the opportunity to taste the special local cuisine that includes a cigarette kid, Haniotian bouquets, stuffed pumpkins, crabs, daco and unparalleled Sfakian pies! The energy of the place, the virgin nature and the hospitality of the locals will leave you the best impression, and by leaving you will promise to return to this small and isolated Libyan Sea paradise.